As the domestic leagues across Europe head into the final couple of months of the season, we are also seeing the major European competitions get down to the final stages. The Europa League is back on Thursday, entering the knock-out stages in the Round of 32. This is the round where some of the teams knocked out in the group stages of the Champions League make the move over to a new competition for the second shot at European glory. Atletico Madrid is one of those teams, and they automatically become one of the favorites to win it all. They will start their run at the Europa League with a trip to Denmark for the first leg of the Round of 32 match-ups against FC København. There is not a lot of history between these two, as they have only met once before, a game that ended in a 2-0 win for Madrid. It’s going to be interesting to see if Atletico can carry over their current form in La Liga into Europa League play, so let’s take a closer look at this one.

Why bet on København

It has been a disappointing season for København in the Danish Superliga, as they are currently in 4th, well behind leaders Midjtylland. Their recent form has been a little up and down, with 2 wins, two draws, and a loss in their last 5 games. They are coming in on the back of a good performance, winning 5-1 versus the bottom of the table Randers over the weekend. That was a particularly surprising offensive outburst given that they had only managed 5 goals in their previous 4 games. They have scored 38 in 20 in the Superliga this season, so perhaps that emphatic victory is a sign that København is ready to break out of their minor slump. In 11 home games this season, København have gone 6-3-2, scoring 28 and giving up 13. That’s a pretty solid home record, so this is a game that they can perhaps get something out of.

Why bet on Atletico Madrid

Atletico is in a great run of form right now, winning each of their last 3 La Liga games to climb into second, 7 points back of league leaders Barcelona. It’s a deficit that looks unlikely to be overcome, but the real goal for Madrid right now is to maintain a top 4 finish that will get them back into the Champions League next season. They will also be intent in picking up some silverware this season, which is why their efforts may be more focused on the Europa League, which could prove to be a problem for the teams they will face from this point forward. Atletico has been excellent away from home in the league this season, going 8-3-1, while scoring 19 and giving up just 5. They have been particularly solid on the defense of late, failing to give up a goal in their previous 3 games.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I like Atletico Madrid to go on and win the Europa League this season, although I expect them to do most of the damage in this match-up in the second leg at home. That said, I think they come out with a narrow win here.

Predicted Score: København 0 Atletico Madrid 1

UEFA European League odds at YouWager.eu will be available for this and every game on the schedule.